Category: Neostrata®

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What is the new customer process when visiting The Renewal Clinic

The Consultation

A quick glimpse into my life: I’m a mom of two very busy and demanding boys, aged 2 and 4. I am a full-time working mom, a wife, and a freelance designer, writer, and artist. I sleep little, drink tons of coffee, and sometimes I have a little cry in the bathroom (when the boys allow this). At 33, my skin is dry, yet oily. I look tired. Wrinkles burrowed in overnight. And I just look dull. 

I decided to treat myself to some aesthetic treatment, expecting to get a bit of filler or botulinum here and there. Now, you must note that I wear minimal make-up; some eye shadow, and mascara, and maybe some anamorphic cream. And I have never considered aesthetic treatment before. But I was desperate! 

So, I Facebook searched The Renewal Clinic and contacted them over Whatsapp for an appointment – how cool is that! And with a quick response, my appointment was booked and my journey to a more youthful-looking me began. 

On the day of my appointment, I made sure I wasn’t wearing any makeup and tried to dodge the passerby’s “hello’s” – I mean, I looked terrible. 

I was met by Dr. Cartsens and was whisked away into her comfy, neat, and beautifully designed office lined with only the best medical skincare treatments. I felt right at home. 

And so our 20-minute consultation began. Dr. Carstens asked me about my medical history, specifically related to my skin, and jotted that all down. She also asked me about my daily skincare regime, to which I shamefully answered, “soap and water and maybe some moisturizer when I felt dry.” And then Dr. Carstens asked me what I considered to be problematic about my skin. I pointed out the saggy-ness I felt here and there, the wrinkles, oh the wrinkles, and some blackhead problems. 

In a swift movement, the blinds were drawn and the lights turned off. And out comes a weird sci-fi-looking gadget. I later found out this gadget is called a Woods Lamp. Still strange, but hey. 

Dr. Carstens spent a few minutes analyzing my skin using the Woods Lamp. I must admit, I did not expect that this is how the treatment is determined. She showed me the results and it was really cool. The contrast blue image showed little white dots, beneath the skin breakouts, and also determined how deep my pigmentation was. The coolest thing about the image was my lips. They were angelic white! But that meant they were dry! 

So, if you have read Read My Lips – 8 Facts about lips I didn’t know.  you can imagine how we’ll I’m moisturizing my lips now. 

Anyway, Dr. Carstens determined my skincare treatment and home care regime. My skin is not problematic, but I have combination skin, I have some pigmentation and some fine line wrinkles. 

And so I thought I would still be receiving filler and a moisturizer. But to my surprise, Dr. Carstens recommended a soft and no-downtime Neostrata chemical peel to address all of my concerns. Read more about this chemical peel here. I was amazed that I didn’t need filler to refine my skin, reduce my wrinkles and give me my glow back. 

Dr. Carstens explained that she first treats the skin to improve overall skin health, and then with aesthetic intervention if needed because healthy skin will naturally improve your aesthetic appearance. 

I was also advised to always, always, always wear sunblock because of the danger of UVA and UVB rays, which all contribute to skin aging, even if you work indoors. (Read Blog here). She gave me a Lamelle face wash and told me to continue using my moisturizer daily. So basically, I only needed to follow three steps (wash, moisturize and apply sunblock) daily and return for one chemical peel. That was it!

As I left, she joked and said, “Next time, you can come with your makeup on”. ☺️

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4 Skin types and 11 skin concerns you should know about.

Your alarm clock goes off; it’s 05:30. The kids are starting to stir. Your eyes burn a little while being open. You stay in bed for a whole 120 seconds before chaos ensues. You need to get the kids dressed, fed, wipe off (and up) sloppy kisses, find the kids’ shoes, ensure they have their homework, remember to greet your husband, oh and somewhere in between all of this, you need to care for yourself too. So, with the 60 seconds you have left, you splash some water on your face, apply a quick makeup, and off you go to start the day of constant ups and downs, and this and that. When you finally have the kids back in bed, you take a sip of your ice-cold coffee, splash some water and soap on your face, and head to bed.


Does this sound familiar at all? Well, it does to me. This was me until I realized the importance of skincare and how protecting and caring for my skin is not actually “me time”, but a necessity for overall health.

For your specialised skincare concerns. discover the NEOSTRATA®️ difference.


Why is Skincare important?


DermSpecialists, A Forefront Dermatology Practice, has identified that besides the obvious reason that your skin adds a few layers of protection to your organs, it also makes up 15% of your body weight and weighs about 4 kilograms. Your skin also amounts to approximately 2 square meters and has at least 5 different receptors that respond to pain and touch. This supports the fact that your skin is your largest organ, functioning as a temperature regulator and protecting your bones, muscles, and organs from outside infection and disease.


There is not one person like you, and that means your skin is unique to you too. But when it comes to skin health and care, we have been lucky enough to identify 4 skin types that will enable you to determine the best skincare and health regimes suited for the unique you.


This post will explore these 4 skin types and also highlight 11 skin concerns that you should be aware of, to ensure your skin health is optimal.


The 4 Skin Types


Regardless of your age, gender or ethnicity, we have all experienced at least one of the 4 skin types in our lives. These types are Normal/Combination Skin, Dry Skin, Oily Skin, or Sensitive skin. But have you ever truly been able to effectively identify the symptoms of your current skin condition as it may change from time to time?


Let’s take a closer look at the 4 different skin types.

Normal/Combination Skin

This is when your skin is neither too dry nor too oily but could be a bit of a combination in certain areas. If you experience oiliness and shine on your forehead, nose and chin a few hours after washing it and having normal or dry skin on the cheeks and along your jawline, then your skin is classified as “combination skin”

Sensitive Skin

This classification occurs if you experience stinging, itching, burning, dryness, redness, and acne breakouts as a result of chemicals, stress, and environmental or social triggers.

Dry Skin

This skin type is usually classified when light flaking and skin tightness occurs. This can range from mild to severe where the skin can even be extremely rough and scaly.

Sensitive Skin

This classification occurs if you experience stinging, itching, burning, dryness, redness, and acne breakouts as a result of chemicals, stress, and environmental or social triggers.

By being able to identify your skin type, it will help you understand triggers and skin responses and also enable you to seek the most suited home care regime. It is also important to know your skin type so you can be on the lookout for the 11 skin concerns that may develop.

NEOSTRATA® skincare collections include multiple results-driven products for your skincare concerns. Build your regimen here

What are the 11 Skin Concerns?

To help aid your journey to skin health, let’s take a closer look at the 11 skin conditions that may arise.

Aging:

Accumulated sun exposure is the main cause of visible signs of aging. This condition is called photoaging and is characteristic of lax, unevenly pigmented, wrinkled, dull, and lifeless skin.

Fine Lines & Wrinkles:

These first tend to appear around the eyes and mouth and are also primarily caused by sun exposure and photoaging.

Dry or Scaly Skin:

As mentioned above, dry or scaly skin varies from mild to severe flaking and skin tightness and can even become a rough hyperkeratotic disorder.

Acne & Blemishes:

As mentioned above, your skin is blemished if you are acne-prone and have monthly breakouts or breakouts due to stress. Acne can occur on the face, back and chest.

Dark Circles & Crow’s Feet:

The dark circles beneath our eyes become more visible as we age. This is because the skin becomes thinner, resulting in fine lines and wrinkles around the eye area.

Uneven Skin Tone & Dark Spots:

If you have any areas of discolouration on your face, chest, shoulders, or hands, then your skin is classified as uneven. This condition is usually a result of sun exposure over the years. Age or dark spots, also known as sunspots, are visible signs of photoaging. Your skin can also become discoloured after pregnancy or as a result of oral contraceptives.

Lax or Sagging Skin:

When you lose the tone or firmness of your skin, your skin appears to be lax or sagging. This is most commonly caused by sun exposure or gravity.

Blotchy Skin:

This is classified when your skin is prone to redness. You may find that you flush easily to reactions, heat, and oxidative stress.

Keratosis Pilaris:

This is a skin (follicular) condition that is classified when rough bumps appear around hair follicles, on the back and outer side, or the upper arms and thighs. It almost resembles goosebumps. This is a very common condition and may be cosmetically troubling but it is not harmful. KP will disappear with increasing age.

Dull Skin:

This is classified when your skin lacks radiance or glow. Again, this is usually a result of aging due to accumulated sun exposure.Psoriasis: This is classified when you have severely dry skin that causes scaliness, is uncomfortable and calloused.

Psoriasis:

This is classified when you have severely dry skin that causes scaliness, is uncomfortable and calloused.

By being able to identify these 11 skin concerns as well as your skin type, it will enable you with the knowledge to seek the correct treatment options to restore and have healthier skin.

At the Renewal Clinic, we stock and use ideal combinations of Neostrata® products. The manufacturing and science behind these products have been backed by their heritage of breakthrough dermatological research and have been designed to, not only give you noticeable results that improve over time, but also to reveal your best skin.

Skincare is never one size fits all. NEOSTRATA®️ formulates their products to tackle a wide spectrum of universal concerns for every skin type and condition.

Visit us at the Renewal Clinic so we can help you care for your skin in the best possible way, with the little time that you have. Who knows, you might just be able to enjoy that warm cup of coffee too! Book your appointment today 066 240 0134

*This post was inspired by NEOSTRATA®️